The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent government agency that provides mail delivery and other services to the public. The USPS is widely recognized as a safe and reliable means for sending and receiving mail and other items. With the advent and steady growth of electronic mail and electronic commerce, the physical mail stream will increasingly be utilized for sending and receiving packages. In an effort to lower operating costs and increase value for their customer base, many delivery system operators attempt to create value for their present customers by creating valued-added services. In addition, value-added service can tend to attract new customers as well. Delivery system operator may realize an increase in profitability due to the increased revenue created by value added services. Therefore, there is a need for the United States Postal Service and many other organizations to efficiently provide value added services to their customer base.
One aspect of interest to customers of delivery systems is the appearance of the “covers,” that is, the wrapper used to contain an item for-delivery. For example, there is a great interest in “first day covers,” attractively printed envelopes bearing a postage stamp with a special cancellation, processed on the first day the stamp is issued.
In an increasingly competitive environment, it is desirable for a deliver system operator to provide an attractive and convenient service allowing users to produce and/or purchase personalized covers.